It is standard practice to use a hydrophilic pad to apply a disinfectant liquid or a medication to a wound.
It is known in the art to store the hydrophilic pad and the liquid for impregnating the pad separately to prevent the hydrophilic pad drying out too quickly in is storage.
For example, document FR-A-2 732 585 describes packaging which has two initially separate compartments respectively containing a hydrophilic pad and a liquid active product. Before the pad is used, communication is established between the two compartments and the liquid active product therefore impregnates the pad.
In this type of packaging, all of the packaging must be sterile to conserve the active properties of the liquid contained in one of the compartments. Moreover, for packaging of this kind to be offered for sale, it is necessary to obtain certification which guarantees that the packaging is sterile and safe. Such certification must be obtained for each different type of packaging, which can vary in shape or volume in particular. Thus obtaining the certification is a costly and time-consuming operation which considerably increases the unit cost of the product.
Documents WO-91/12197, WO-94/13352, FR-A-1 415 759 and GB-A-2 020 174 and U.S. pat. No. 3,148,401 describe liquid applicators of the aforementioned type. However, in those applicators, the hydrophilic pad for applying the liquid is formed by a block of hydrophilic foam with a small surface area, making it difficult to apply the liquid over a large area.